The Federal Government has officially commenced the implementation phase of a landmark reform that grants Colleges of Education across Nigeria the autonomy to independently run both the National Certificate in Education (NCE) and degree programmes, without relying on university affiliations.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at a National Summit in Abuja by Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Suwaiba Ahmad.
A Historic Milestone in Teacher Education
Describing the initiative as a “historic milestone”, the minister explained that the reform was made possible through the Federal Colleges of Education (Establishment) Act No. 43 of 2023, which empowers Colleges of Education to operate dual mandates in teacher education.
“For the first time in our history, our Colleges of Education have been legally empowered to run NCE and degree programmes concurrently in teacher education disciplines,” she stated.
The minister added that the reform builds on decades of experience, capacity, and competence already demonstrated by the institutions in producing professional teachers.
“The dual-mandate system now grants them full legislative and operational authority to expand their academic offerings while preserving their core mission of producing highly skilled and professional teachers,” she said.
NCCE Reacts: ‘A New Dawn’
The Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Prof. Paulinus Chijioke Okwelle, also hailed the development as a game-changer for the nation’s education sector.
According to him, for decades, Colleges of Education had been dependent on universities for affiliation in order to run degree programmes, a situation that often created bottlenecks and limited institutional growth.
“Today, with full legislative backing, our Colleges of Education now have the autonomy to offer degree programmes directly, leveraging their own manpower, infrastructure, and academic expertise. This is indeed historic,” Okwelle said.
He further highlighted the advantages of the reform, including:
- The production of graduates holding both NCE and B.Ed qualifications.
- A steady pipeline of qualified teachers for Nigeria’s basic and secondary education system.
- The retention of skilled educators within the teacher training ecosystem.
- Expanded access for student-teachers across the country.
Context: Role of Colleges of Education in Nigeria
Colleges of Education serve as teacher training institutions, established to produce qualified candidates for teaching and lecturing roles. Currently, Nigeria has 152 educational institutions in this category, spread across federal, state, and private ownership.
Traditionally, these institutions were restricted to running NCE programmes and had to affiliate with universities to award degree qualifications. The new reform now removes this dependency, placing them at the same operational level as universities in teacher education, while still retaining their core responsibility of training professional teachers.
Looking Ahead
Observers in the education sector have welcomed the reform as a long overdue step that could help address Nigeria’s chronic shortage of qualified teachers, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
With this dual mandate, analysts say Colleges of Education are now better positioned to expand teacher training, improve standards, and strengthen the pipeline of educators who will shape the country’s future.
